Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) Police arrested activists of the Raj Thackeray led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Mira-Bhayandar area after they tried to take out a morcha on the Marathi issue while opposing the imposition of Hindi from Grade 1 in Maharashtra.

They hit the streets to counter the morcha organised by traders.

MNS activists strongly protested the police’s decision of allowing traders to take out a rally while turning down their request.

The traders had organised a morcha to protest against the beating of a shopkeeper by MNS men last week.

Many prominent MNS leaders and office bearers had been detained since Monday night.

MNS leader Avinash Jadhav was detained by the police last night, and notices under Section 163 were issued to all MNS leaders.

MNS women activists were at the forefront to express strong anger against the police action.

The women activists angrily asked, “Permission has been given for non-Marathi Morcha, then why not us?”

Mira-Bhayandar resident Ruchita Jadhav, who was present at the event, said, “We do not belong to any organization, we are ordinary citizens. Marathi language must be spoken by people. Why oppose Marathi? Hindi, English are understood by everyone and we speak all languages. But when Gujarati and Marwari people took to the streets and said ‘Jai Gujarat’, did everyone go deaf?”

Similarly, another woman said, “We do not talk about any caste or religion. We all live together in society. Why are we opposing Marathi? Marathi people must speak Marathi, otherwise everything about Marathi people will end. We are Marathi, we are the children of Shivaji.”

However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the police decision of denying the permission to MNS.

“MNS leaders were deliberately asking for a route that would cause a clash. But the police were telling them to take the usual route. However, the MNS refused and took a stand that they would proceed on the route they selected, so the police denied permission to the morcha,” he said.

“Not only MNS but everyone is allowed to take out a morcha in the state. But if an attempt is made to take out a morcha and create a law and order issue, it will not be right. We want to stay united here, we want to develop the state. If the morcha had been taken out through the right route, it would have been allowed. That permission will be given today, it will be given tomorrow too,” said CM Fadnavis.

Minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam said that there may be a law and order issue at the place where permission had been sought by MNS.

“Therefore, we told them that you should change the venue. We will give you permission for the morcha. However, they were not ready to change the venue. Even today, we are ready to give permission. There are also some guidelines from the court. We have to follow those guidelines. We have to take care that there is no law and order issue,” he said.

However, MNS stuck to its stand and thereafter the police granted the former permission to take out morcha and later released the MNS activists.

–IANS

sj/rad